Cooking for the Seasons: Fall

Fall has officially begun, which means it’s time to bid adieu to melons, berries and other summer favorites and say hello to apples, squash and pears. After all, when autumn is in the air, there’s nothing better than enjoying the bounty of what fall brings us. The season’s best flavors can often be found in the fall harvest and the produce available during this time often makes some pretty incredible dishes. As the weather grows crisper, we find ourselves hankering for comfort food such as soups, stews and casseroles. After a long day at work, it’s pure bliss to come home to warm, cozy classics such as baked apples and butternut squash soup, which is exactly what we’re featuring in today’s autumnal recipe roundup!

When it comes to cooking for the fall season, we find that the best methods are ones that allow ourselves to keep our bodies warm such as roasting, braising and baking. There are many different kinds of fruits and vegetables available during this time that works beautifully with these techniques. Varieties of squash such as Acorn Squash, Carnival Squash and Gold Nugget Squash are all wonderful when roasted in the oven. Apples such as Lady Apples and Crimson Gold Apples are great for eating fresh as a snack or baked into desserts and sauces. For more information on other delicious fall produce, please visit our Fall Essentials. And if you’d like to order any of these specialty items, you may do so at 800-588-0151 or hotline@melissas.com.

Delicious, healthy and brunch-worthy, our Acorn Squash Quiche is the perfect way to wake up to a crisp fall morning. The mildness of the cottage cheese lends itself to the warmth of the nutmeg, giving it an unforgettable autumnal flavor. Quiche is simple enough to make with just eggs and your favorite toppings, but adding acorn squash takes it to a whole new level. Sweet in flavor and creamy in texture once cooked, this wonderful squash is festive enough to be used both as an ingredient and as a decoration.

One of our favorite things about the fall season is the new bounty of blood oranges. From their gorgeous ruby-red color to their sweet-tart flavor, there’s much to celebrate about this crimson citrus. An elegant vegetable dish, roasted brussels sprouts are often delicious when cooked with salt, pepper and olive oil. However, blood oranges and fresh grilled corn transform this popular side dish into a truly magical one that’s worth serving at the dinner table this year.

Hey, can we let you in on a little secret? Butternut squash makes everything better. Butternut squash is eaten year-round but it makes its way onto the dinner table most frequently during fall and winter season. After all, their delicious flavor, which is reminiscent of sweet potatoes, make the most wonderful autumnal dishes. Take our Butternut Squash Risotto for one. A sophisticated Sunday Supper that’s well worth the effort, we serve this Italian rice dish alongside pan seared scallops, which we wrap with Italian Prosciutto for double the flavor.

As the days start to cool down for the fall, we often crave something a little warmer and more comforting. When it comes to comfort food, what could be more fitting than a bowl of piping hot soup? While seasonal vegetables are great for these dishes, did you know that certain fruits can make a most wonderful soup as well? Sweet, mildly flavored Apple Pears and Asian Pears pair well with the also sweet yet savory butternut squash to create a fabulous soup that’s sure to help you stay warm during those chilly nights.

Root vegetables make some of the heartiest of dishes, which is exactly what we’re craving during the fall season. Carrots are sweet on their own but sautéing them in brown sugar and spices makes quite an exquisite side to serve with rich stews and roasted meats. However, these carrots aren’t just one dimensionally sweet. We spice things up by tossing in chopped jalapeño chiles to give it that perfect hint of heat. If you want to take things up an extra notch, you may also use hotter chiles such as Serrano chiles or Habernero chiles in its place.

Apple pie, apple dumplings, apple crisp…when it comes to autumn, the possibilities for delicious apple recipes are limitless. With so many different varieties of apples available during the season, it’s hard not to go a little crazy in the kitchen. One of our favorite apples to work with are Crimson Gold Apples, which are miniature in size but big in flavor. Perfectly crisp, sweet and tart, these petite sized apples are delicious when baked with plenty of cinnamon, brown sugar and rolled oats. The result is a warm, comforting and festive dessert that’s sure to hit the spot at the end of a cold day.

Not only are blood oranges available during the fall season, Cara Cara Oranges are ripe for the picking as well. In contrast to the blood orange’s crimson-red color, Cara Cara Oranges are pretty in pink. With their bright flavor and vibrant color, these lovely oranges are wonderful when sliced or juiced and can be used in a variety of recipes. For a simple, healthy and refreshing drink, we blend together the juice of Cara Cara Oranges with our Sweet Young Coconuts in the Torrent™ Blender by KitchenAid®. For more delicious things you can make with this blender, check out our recipes.

When the fall rolls around, we just can’t get enough of that pumpkin spice. From pumpkin spiced drinks to desserts, it seems as though people get more creative with their recipes each year. Although many of these items don’t actually have any pumpkin in them, we have a recipe that does! Our Pumpkin Spiced Cookies are the perfect autumn treat and is filled with plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves,dried cranberries and wait for it, pumpkin seeds! While these cookies have that soft, chewy texture we all love, it also gets a little extra crunch from the pepitas. We’ll be eating these delicious bites all throughout Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmastime!

What are some of your favorite dishes to eat during the fall? Which fruits and vegetables do you look forward to eating the most during the season?